I used to have a motorcycle shop and this guy brought in a very nice GL 1000 that had a starter problem. Well 3 years later I have shut the shop down because of health issues but now getting better. When this guy brought in the bike I took the starter off it and gave it to him to be rebuilt because he told me he had just had it replaced not long ago. Well 3 years I still have the bike and have called him many times to come get it and in the last year he must have changed his number because it is out of service. So I have decided to just file for title on the thing and fix it up. It is in very good condition but has set in my shop for 3 years and when he brought it in had set a while before that. I just got a new starter for it and know I will have to clean the tank and carbs. Other than that I have all the keys for it, seems like everything works, it has the front faring on it and hard saddle bags. Also will need a new battery. I am thinking just because I will replace the points, plugs and plug wires. I don't have much experience on the 1000. I have owned and worked on 1200, 1500 and bought new a 2005 1800, still own and ride. This bike looks like it has been someones baby and has been inside all it's life. Paint is in good condition with a few bumps and scrapes here and there and missing the battery cover (will have to find one somewhere????)
So far here is what I know about this thing
VIN 8L1 3000596
Motor No. GL1E 8000614
Brown in color
Has fuel gauge on false tank.
Has spoke wheels
Has front faring, still has the headlight mounted on the front forks behind the front faring.
Has Saddle bags and top case
Looks like the saddle bags and faring is Honda. I will post pictures maybe tomorrow.
Looks like an after market seat
Looks like the pipes right where the headers and silencer meet are rusted badly and may need some work or replaced.
It has been in my shop sense 2011 and has not ran during that time.
Not sure of the year, any help would be very nice.
I think this bike is worth salvaging and would like to get it back running and in good shape. Is it worth that?
What would this bike be worth in good running condition?

I hope these pictures come through this is my first time posting pictures to this site.
Yes I am going to replace the cam belts. Who knows if or when they were changed last and from what I have been reading these belts are not as good as later belts. I searched the bike this morning and did find some paper work and also found on the neck that it is in fact a 1977. I am guessing that it has been panted I don't think this is the factory color. Can anyone confirm? To be as old as it is it is in what I think very good condition. I found a not in the compartment in the false tank that stated that #2 cylinder had a problem but the note was old. I will have to check it out. Found a gallon of Honda antifreeze in one of the saddle bags and that makes me feel better because I know these water pumps are sensitive to not having the right antifreeze in it. I opened the tank and found very light rust, Not sure but with that light of rust I think I will clean it out the best I can while on the bike and keep a good fuel filter on it and hope for the best. Also carry one with me when I ride it. One of the valve cover bolts have been snapped off I will have to easy out it and replace it. Not that big of a deal I have planed to also adjust the valves while I have it on the lift. Also change oil. The oil that is leaking out of the starter hole looks really bad and I found 2 quarts of Castro car oil in one of the saddlebags and bet that is what is in it. Wonder if it would be worth flushing the motor out? That oil looked very bad and I would like to get all that out of it because I have read bad things about the starter clutch slipping in these bikes. lush it out with ATF. I have had good luck with doing that in the past.
Thank You guys for your help

Well the starter came in today. I put it on and it now turns over. The guy must have brought it in with no fuel in it because the tank is dry. I hooked my nurse tank to it just to see it it would start. It tried to start but the carbs are junk. Not surprised, I knew I would have to rebuild them. I tried to start it and it would start and catch but as soon as I would let off the starter button it would die. I took a plug and looked at the fire and as soon as I would let off the starter button it quit firing. I ran out of time to trouble shoot any further. Does this have a relay that crosses the ballast resistor over or feeds 12 volts to the coil while the starter button is pushed?

Also the rear brake is almost locked up. Guess I am going to have to rebuild it. Hope I can find the parts. Hope this thing does not turn into a money pit. The tires still have the nubbies on them, I have got to look up the manufacture date on them and see when they were made. I bet they are not that old because they seem to be soft and no dry rot. I think i will take them off and check the condition of the tubes, maybe even replace the tubes just for piece of mind. Hate having blow outs. Wore out an old Triumph Bonneville going threw Arizona once with a front tire blow out at about 75 or 80mph. Don't want a repeat of that.
Starter 149.00
Carb kits 148.99
Cam Belts est 60.00
Tune up kit 60.00
Valve cover gasket 20.00
Valve cover bolt est 10.00
Brake salve cylinder rebuild kit 20.00 est?
Air filter base gasket 17.00
Top shelter hinge pin set 37.00
Total parts so far.....521.00
I guess 500.00 for a good vintage bike is not that bad.

Bonestock3, I will try and look for a vendor name tomorrow, maybe even a model number. I guess that explains the old headlight still in it's place. Either way I think for 1977 they are pretty nice.
I did find out why it stopped firing when I let off the starter, the emergency stop switch was dirty. Now I have just got to get the brakes unlocked so I can push it back to the shop area and put it on a lift. Got to get a bunch of parts on order. Hope money and efforts are not in vain and no more is wrong with it.

bthacker wrote:Bonestock3, I will try and look for a vendor name tomorrow, maybe even a model number. I guess that explains the old headlight still in it's place. Either way I think for 1977 they are pretty nice.
I did find out why it stopped firing when I let off the starter, the emergency stop switch was dirty. Now I have just got to get the brakes unlocked so I can push it back to the shop area and put it on a lift. Got to get a bunch of parts on order. Hope money and efforts are not in vain and no more is wrong with it.

Be careful where you get parts from, quality can be vastly different between vendors.

Is the rear brake locked up, or the rear brake pedal? The pedals are know for seizing up - some penetrating oil left to sit in on the pivot can help loosen things up. If they are really stiff, you may have to work it off and clean up the pivot pin, re-lube with grease and reassemble.

Not sure yet on the rear brake yet but will look at it. I know I tried to pry the pads back to free it up so I could move it and they willnot move. If the brake peddle is sticking down that would answer that. if not I guess I will have to just take the caliper off to move it and rebuild it. Thanks. The rear rotor has some grooving in it and might have to replace it. I have never done this but wonder if it could be turned down?The grooves are not very deep.
I am trying to watch where I purchase parts from. That is one reason I like these forums, I can get advice from people that have purchased parts from vendors and have posted there experience. Think this is going to be a winter long project because money is tight and will have to buy parts as I can.
Going to start with the carbs first, That way I can determine the health of the motor. No sense of repairing the brakes if the motor is not good.

Well it keeps getting better and better. I can see this is going to be a long and expensive project. The rear is not locked up like I had thought, the left front is. I cannot push back the piston on the caliper on either front brake. I drained out some of the brake fluid and it looked like muck. Bet it is original. Why would you want to flush out the brake system? Don't brake fluid last for ever? Just like transmission fluid, rear differential and antifreeze. I get that all the time.I guess another thing on the list is to totally rebuild the brake system. Like tires I don't mess around when it comes to brakes. Want them working and working good. I really hope the motor is alright. It has 53000 miles on the clock that should not be that much for that engine. I see this project lasting all winter and costing 1000.00. Well it's a labor of love. I like old bikes and this will hopefully turn into a very nice vintage Wing.

Bonestock3: I looked over the fairings and saddlebags and could not find a vendors name on them or anything. I will keep looking while working on it and see if I can find something about them.

I also went through the saddlebags today. Found the original owners manual and original tool kit. Nice find. Along with a very nice rain suit and gloves.

Wing Admin: I just removed the front calipers for now. I am just going to rebuild the whole brake system. Flush it out, rebuild the calipers both front and rear and master cylinders. I am in the mountains and rely on brakes a lot so I want then to work when I need them. If you have not discovered I am anal about things. I could get by maybe with just flushing them out on the rear and rebuilding the front calipers and new pads all around. But it would bug me to death to know that the master cylinders are 30+ years old. I want things to work and work right the way they should. One of the biggest things I hate about running a bike shop is people bringing in old bikes that have been hodgepodge, spit had hay bail wired together. Why would you do that when you could fix it right. Most of the time I see where they have spent more time hodgepodging something than it would have taken to fix it right. My other hot spot that I see all the time. Quote I know it is metric but I have this SAE bolt that I can make work. Drives me crazy!!!!

The fairing and bags are....90% sure ...are Bates. Bates made lots of different fairings and wild styles. But then again it looks like a kz 1000 police fairing. I am not sure if Kawasaki farmed that out, still a Bates style. Oh Your parts list, I see you failed to mention (I forgot) brake line hoses. You said something about wanting good brakes cause you had some mountains over your way..huh?..oh those mountains, you have a nice back yard. I know you holding off on stuff till you bust her off and bring her back to life. Keep us posted, lots of pictures. That fairing and bag set up really does look good on there. I knew your list was to short.....

Yep, the list just keeps growing and growing and yes brake line is in there. I cannot believe some of the prices they want for things. 45.00 for caliper rebuild kit? It's 2 stinking square "O" rings. I was looking at them and thinking that must include the piston, NOPE. Got to keep searching for parts.

Yes, having these mountains in my back yard is wonderful. I love riding in them both on road and off road. Used to enjoy hiking in them but knees and back won't let me now days. Old age is hell. Sometimes I like to get on my old trials bike and just go, no trail just threw the woods.

Thank You on the compliment on the faring and bags, for the age of the bike they do look really good I think. I am fighting the thought of painting it. The fiberglass is still in good condition but the paint is not that good. A nice metal flake blue or subtle metal flake red or factory metal flake brown with a clear coat that would shine and the chrome all polished up would really pop. If I was to paint it I think I would have to look up what colors the bike came in in 1977 and consider one of those colors. Kind of like to keep it all original. The motor has very little corrosion on it and with a little elbow grease It would look good, I think going down the road the bike would really stand out.

Maybe when I get her fixed up some people from the forum would like to come and play in my back yard. Heck anytime. I can down grade and get on my 05 wing and take you for a tour through these beautiful mountains.

Well digging into the carbs. Someone has been into them before and not very good. The pucks fell right out when I took the float bowels off, they must have either striped some screws or something because 3 screws were sheet metal screws. I got them apart alright and have started the cleaning process. Done a test clean on some of the chrome and I think it will look good after I get done cleaning it. The oil in it looked like muck. I have some ATF in it just to clean it. It had one of the cam cover bolts broken off. Easy out that. It had the new bolt in the saddle bag. I looked at the rear brake fluid. Yuck!!! It had a note in it that #2 cylinder was not doing right, I found out why, the plug cap where it screws onto the plug wire is burnt off. I took all the plug caps off to test them and they measure from 7.8K to 14K so I guess they have got to be replaced. Have carb kits on order and should be here in a week or so.
Also look at the picture of the oil filter I got out of it. This is why I don't use cheep oil filters!!!!!

Attachments

Last edited by bthacker on Mon Dec 29, 2014 1:31 am, edited 2 times in total.

Sorry something went wrong here is the other pics.
Found 2 water leaks. The first one is on the piping coming from the head and the other is either the water pump cap or lower radiator hose. I am just going to replace all of it. It being this old I think of it as insurance.

If you look at the carb caps they look like they are leaking. I wonder how that can be fixed? How can I get these gaskets? Also the vacuum ports coming out of the side of the carbs just came right out???? Who knows.

No wonder when the guy brought it in he said it did not run very good. The plug caps all bad, the carbs leaking from everywhere, the pucks not in tight, the carb caps leaking, many of the float bowel screws were loose. It is a mess but it will be good to go when I get done.

Thank You, I hope it will turn out a very nice vintage bike, Seems like everything I do turns into a money pit. The other day I thought I would fix that sagging gutter on the side of the house. You know, 20.00 and one trip to the hardware store. Yea right. 3 trips to the hardware store and 400.00 later I had new soffits, Falasha boards and vents on that side of the house. Like every project I dig into is like this. The more I dig into this bike the more I find I need to fix. I have found 2 water leaks that have to be addressed. But I think with a little TLC and some paint she will be beautiful and hopefully reliable. And yes it will give me great joy in going down the road on it knowing all the love I put into her.
By the way has anyone here worked with the water lines that are across the top of the motor? Is the piping just "O" ringed or are their a special seal in them. Can I still get these parts? I found antifreeze on the top of the motor on the left hand side after removing the carbs, That is the only place that the water could be coming from and I have got to fix this before I can put the carbs back on. I have gasket material and feel I can make the gaskets for the water junction on the heads but have never been into the piping and don't know if this is just "O" rings or are there a special seal in there?